A gaming device including a plurality of symbol generators adapted to generate a plurality of symbols at a plurality of symbol positions. In one embodiment, a player selects a first symbol position, the selected symbol position is activated and the gaming device reveals whether a terminator is associated with the selected symbol position. In this embodiment, the player continues selecting symbol positions (and the gaming device continues activating the selected symbol positions) until a terminator is revealed to be associated with a selected symbol position. After a terminator is revealed, the gaming device randomly generating a symbol at each of the activated symbol positions. The gaming device determines an outcome based on the symbols or combinations of symbols generated at the activated symbol positions and provides the player the determined outcome.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A gaming system comprising: a housing; a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including: (i) an acceptor, and (ii) a cashout device; at least one display device supported by the housing; at least one processor; and at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with said at least one display device and said plurality of input devices to: (a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, (b) for each play of a game: (i) without randomly generating any symbols at any active symbol display positions: (A) enable a player to pick one of a plurality of symbol display positions associated with one of a plurality of reels, wherein a plurality of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels are initially inactive, and (B) if said picked symbol display position is inactive, activate said picked symbol display position, (ii) thereafter, determine if a terminating event occurred, said determination being independent of any wager placed, (iii) if the terminating event occurred, thereafter: (A) randomly generate one of a plurality of symbols at each of the active symbol display positions, (B) determine any awards associated with any plurality of the randomly generated symbols which form any predetermined winning symbol combinations, and (C) display any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, wherein said credit balance is increasable based on any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, and (iv) if the terminating event did not occur, repeat (b) (i) to (b) (iv), and (c) if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.
2. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor if the terminating event occurred, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to randomly generate at least one symbol at at least one of said inactive symbol display positions.
3. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor if the terminating event occurred, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to enable the player to pick a subset of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels.
4. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to enable the player to pick one of the plurality of symbol display positions upon a placement of a wager.
5. The gaming system of claim 4 , wherein the wager includes an amount of non-monetary credits.
6. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein any determined awards include an amount of non-monetary credits.
7. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause the terminating event to occur when the player picks one of the symbol display positions associated with a terminator.
8. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to determine at least one of the awards based on: (A) the randomly generated plurality of symbols, and (B) the active symbol positions at which the plurality of symbols are randomly generated.
9. A gaming system comprising: a housing; a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including: (i) an acceptor, and (ii) a cashout device; at least one display device supported by the housing; at least one processor; and at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with said at least one display device and said plurality of input devices to: (a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, (b) for each play of a game: (i) without randomly generating any symbols at any active symbol display positions, initiate a symbol display position selection sequence including: (A) enabling a player to pick at least one of a plurality of symbol display positions associated with one of a plurality of reels, a plurality of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels are initially inactive, and (B) activating each of said inactive symbol display positions picked by the player until a terminating event occurs, said terminating event occurring independent of any wager placed, and (ii) after the terminating event occurs, initiate a symbol generation sequence including: (A) randomly generating one of a plurality of symbols at each of the active symbol display positions, (B) determining any awards associated with any plurality of the randomly generated symbols which form any predetermined winning symbol combinations, and (C) displaying any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, wherein said credit balance is increasable based on any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, and (c) if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.
10. The gaming system of claim 9 , wherein the symbol generation sequence includes randomly generating at least one symbol at at least one of said inactive symbol display positions.
11. The gaming system of claim 9 , wherein the symbol display position selection sequence includes enabling the player to pick a subset of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels.
12. The gaming system of claim 9 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to initiate the symbol display position selection sequence upon a placement of a wager.
13. The gaming system of claim 12 , wherein the wager includes an amount of non-monetary credits.
14. The gaming system of claim 9 , wherein any determined awards include an amount of non-monetary credits.
15. The gaming system of claim 9 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause the terminating event to occur when the player picks one of the symbol display positions associated with a terminator.
16. The gaming system of claim 9 , wherein the symbol generation sequence includes determining at least one of the awards based on: (A) the randomly generated plurality of symbols, and (B) the active symbol positions at which the plurality of symbols are randomly generated.
17. A method of operating a gaming system, for each play of a game said method comprising: (a) without randomly generating any symbols at any active symbol display positions: (i) enabling a player to pick one of a plurality of symbol display positions associated with one of a plurality of reels, wherein a plurality of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels are initially inactive, and (ii) if said picked symbol display position is inactive, causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to activate said picked symbol display position; (b) thereafter, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine if a terminating event occurred, said determination being independent of any wager placed; (c) if the terminating event occurred, thereafter: (i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly generate one of a plurality of symbols at each of the active symbol display positions, (ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine any awards associated with any plurality of the randomly generated symbols which form any predetermined winning symbol combinations, and (iii) causing at least one display device to display any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, said credit balance being: (i) increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and (ii) decreasable via a cashout device; and (d) if the terminating event did not occur, repeating (a) to (d).
18. The method of claim 17 , which includes, if the terminating event occurred, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly generate at least one symbol at at least one of said inactive symbol display positions.
19. The method of claim 17 , which includes, if the terminating event occurred, enabling the player to pick a subset of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels.
20. The method of claim 17 , which includes enabling the player to pick one of the plurality of symbol display positions upon a placement of a wager.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the wager includes an amount of non-monetary credits.
22. The method of claim 17 , wherein any determined awards include an amount of non-monetary credits.
23. The method of claim 17 , which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to cause the terminating event to occur when the player picks one of the symbol display positions associated with a terminator.
24. The method of claim 17 , which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine at least one of the awards based on: (A) the randomly generated plurality of symbols, and (B) the active symbol positions at which the plurality of symbols are randomly generated.
25. The method of claim 17 , which is provided through a data network.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the data network is an internet.
27. A method of operating a gaming system, for each play of a game, said method comprising: (a) without randomly generating any symbols at any active symbol display positions, causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to initiate a symbol display position selection sequence including: (i) enabling a player to pick at least one of a plurality of symbol display positions associated with one of a plurality of reels, a plurality of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels are initially inactive, and (ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to activate each of said inactive symbol display positions picked by the player until a terminating event occurs, said terminating event occurring independent of any wager placed; and (b) after the terminating event occurs, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to initiate a symbol generation sequence including: (i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly generate one of a plurality of symbols at each of the active symbol display positions, (ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine any awards associated with any plurality of the randomly generated symbols which form any predetermined winning symbol combinations, and (iii) causing at least one display device to display any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any determined awards associated with the randomly generated symbols, said credit balance being: (i) increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and (ii) decreasable via a cashout device.
28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the symbol generation sequence includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly generate at least one symbol at at least one of said inactive symbol display positions.
29. The method of claim 27 , wherein the symbol display position selection sequence includes enabling the player to pick a subset of said symbol display positions associated with the plurality of reels.
30. The method of claim 27 , which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to initiate the symbol display position selection sequence upon a placement of a wager.
31. The method of claim 30 , wherein the wager includes an amount of non-monetary credits.
32. The method of claim 27 , wherein any determined awards include an amount of non-monetary credits.
33. The method of claim 27 , which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to cause the terminating event to occur when the player picks one of the symbol display positions associated with a terminator.
34. The method of claim 27 , wherein the symbol generation sequence includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine at least one of the awards based on: (A) the randomly generated plurality of symbols, and (B) the active symbol positions at which the plurality of symbols are randomly generated.
35. The method of claim 27 , which is provided through a data network.
36. The method of claim 35 , wherein the data network is an internet.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
June 28, 2012
March 15, 2016
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.